


Six Feet Under

by remanth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Sabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:24:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3928012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanth/pseuds/remanth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel dies and Sam thinks that's the end of his relationship with him. But is it really?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Six Feet Under

They hadn’t had time to bury him. Not really. To be honest, there wasn’t even really time to go back and see that he was dead. But Sam made the time, picked his way through rubble and blood and bodies to the large room Lucifer had found them in. And there he was. He was lying on his back in the halo of his ashed wings on the floor. The outline was huge and Sam swore there was even the outline of an actual halo on the table just above his head. He couldn’t move closer to the body, couldn’t bring himself to let go of the doorframe and walk forward. Words bubbled in his throat, so many things he wanted to say and things he wanted to repeat. But it was too late now.

After several moments, Sam finally turned away and left the motel. While he wanted to bury Gabriel, there was no time. Besides, did angels get buried? Were they given to the Earth when in life they soared through the skies? Maybe six feet under wasn’t the best place for the once-sarcastic, lonely archangel. Sam picked his way back out of the motel, every sense alert for any surviving pagan gods or Lucifer himself. Dean was still waiting outside, tapping his fingers impatiently on the wheel of the Impala. Dean didn’t understand Sam’s relationship with Gabriel. If he were being honest with himself, sometimes Sam didn’t understand it himself. He’d hated Gabriel after the archangel had made him watch Dean die hundreds of times in order to teach him a lesson.

It wasn’t until six months after everything that went down at the Mystery Spot that Sam had seen Gabriel again. The archangel had popped up in the motel room as Sam walked in yawning. On seeing the archangel standing in front of him, Sam had automatically pulled out his gun and pointed it at him. Gabriel had disappeared, leaving Sam disgruntled and on edge for the rest of the night. He’d never reappeared, though, and Sam had assumed it was just a fluke. Until the next time Gabriel showed up. Though he was a little slower on the trying to shoot him, Sam still tried. Gabriel left again, this time leaving a box of candy in his wake. On examining the box, Sam had found that the candy was all his favorite kinds. When Dean had walked in an hour later, he dug through the box happily and Sam assumed Dean thought Sam himself had bought the candy.

Gabriel popped in and out of Sam’s life several more times as time went on. Usually after a hunt and always when Dean wasn’t around. Slowly, Sam stopped drawing his gun on the archangel and they started talking. Lots of anger and argument at first, with apologies from Gabriel at how he’d handled Mystery Spot. He’d explained that he’d made a mistake in the format of his lesson. And it was something he’d never repeat. Sam felt his anger fade away as he came to understand Gabriel’s side of the whole debacle. He didn’t know if he’d ever quite trust the archangel but at least he could be friendly. Then came a truly disastrous hunt that he and Dean almost didn’t survive. It was luck and Sam’s quick reflexes that saved him from having his head torn off by an angry vampire. As he’d ducked, Dean’s machete slammed through the vamp’s neck and sent the head flying. While he was alive, Sam didn’t get away without injury; the vampire had left deeply furrowed claw marks on his cheek and down his neck. Dean was limping on his right leg, blood staining his jeans from the knee down. They’d made it back to the hotel and dealt with their wounds as best they could before falling into an exhausted sleep.

A light touch and warmth spreading throughout his body woke Sam. He cracked his eyes open and saw a light hovering over his wounded cheek. The light blocked out his vision of anything else in the room though he could sense _someone_ standing next to him. After a moment, the light disappeared and so did the pain from the furrows in his skin. While he waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness again, Sam felt gingerly at his cheek and neck. Smooth, unbroken skin met his fingers while whoever was standing next to him chuckled quietly.

“Got yourself into a bit of a pickle there, huh Sasquatch?” Gabriel’s voice drifted down to him, more breath than voice. “Good thing you and that brother of yours are quick on your feet.”

“And that we have an archangel who feels like healing us?” Sam asked just as quietly as Gabriel’s hand hovered over Dean’s leg. Sam’s eyes had finally adjusted enough to see more than just shadows though the light coming in from the streetlights outside wasn’t enough to let him see Gabriel’s face. More light shone from Gabriel’s hand and Dean shifted on his bed. But the pain on his face eased away and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Dean’s leg was pretty mangled.”

“No problem, kiddo,” Gabriel said, the flash of his teeth bright in the shadows of his face. Then he was gone and Sam fell asleep feeling much safer.

That marked a turning point in what Sam was reluctantly calling their friendship. Gabriel would still show up after hunts but they would just talk now. Sometimes they sat on the couch while Dean slept, starting at opposite ends and moving closer and closer together. It wasn’t until they sat so close that their shoulders were touching that Sam realized how comfortable he’d gotten with the archangel. He was willing to bet that Gabriel could be counted on nearly as much as Cas. Look at how many times he’d healed them after battles, though always Dean after he was asleep. Dean never mentioned his miraculously healed injuries so Sam never told him it was Gabriel.

Then there was a month were Gabriel didn’t show up at all. Sam was really busy hunting and trying to save the world so he was leaving other parts of his life by the wayside. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he’d gone out to have a quiet drink or to flirt with someone that maybe led to something more. He’d never had problems before finding company but there was just no time. And there was another turning point one morning while he was taking a shower. Sam had volunteered to take the second shower as he’d wanted a little extra time to himself. If he couldn’t find a willing companion, he’d just take care of things himself. At first, he’d just let his mind wander without thinking of anything specific. It wasn’t until he was close, one hand braced on the shower wall, that a pair of tawny eyes and a knowing smile popped into his mind. It was too late to change the image, his body tightening and spasming with his release. Afterwards, Sam thought that it might have been one of the best orgasms he’d ever had. Though he wasn’t going to be letting Gabriel know _anything_ of what had happened.

The next time Gabriel had shown up, Sam had watched his thoughts carefully. He’d kept any memory locked down in his head so deep that he hoped Gabriel wouldn’t pick it up. The archangel hadn’t appeared to, merely snapping up some candy for them to share as they talked on the couch. When Gabriel left that night, Sam had breathed a sigh of relief that he’d kept the memory to himself. And then he’d started letting himself think about Gabriel instead of letting his mind wander.

But Sam didn’t count on sneaky archangels and their desire to know everything they could. Especially what others didn’t want them to know. Gabriel knew what Sam was thinking about, the Winchester was almost screaming it in his head in his effort to keep it hidden. And that intrigued Gabriel. So the kid was thinking about him now, was he? Wasn’t _that_ interesting? So Gabriel decided to push the boundaries a little. It started with little touches the next night he appeared, more bumping of their shoulders, letting his hand slide off his leg and land against the side of Sam’s. Gabriel had to hide his smile when Sam surreptitiously moved his leg closer to his hand. He’d left the hunter that night with a plan.

Over his next few visits, Gabriel added more and more physical things to what he did. First ruffling Sam’s hair after a joke, then slinging an arm over his shoulders, then moving closer on the couch until their thighs were pressed together from hip to knee. Each time Gabriel came back after doing something new, he could see in Sam’s thoughts that the hunter had added the touch to his mental fantasies. Eventually, they were so close on the couch that there was no space between them, Sam with an arm hooked over Gabriel’s shoulders and Gabriel with one arm resting across Sam’s thighs. That was the moment Gabriel decided to kiss Sam. He turned just slightly and murmured Sam’s name, enough for Sam to look down at him. Then Gabriel pressed their lips together. It was soft and light, not chaste but not pressuring either. It was a testing and he waited while Sam decided what he was going to do about it.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long as Sam let out a sigh and pulled him closer. They spent that night kissing, exploring each other’s mouths and, tentatively, running hands over clothed torsos and thighs. Gabriel ended straddling Sam’s thighs, his fingers tangled into Sam’s hair as Sam’s hands held him tight by the hips. Mumbling from Dean cut everything short, Sam pulling back from their kisses with a sheepish look on his face. Gabriel chuckled quietly before pressing one last kiss to the tip of his nose and poofing out of the room.

Their relationship progressed faster after that, Sam not bothering to confine his fantasies as deeply in his mind anymore. He never knew that Gabriel had known from the beginning. Sam started insisting on getting a separate motel room at night, giving Dean some lame excuse for it. Dean had shrugged and gone along with the plan. He assumed Sam wanted some quality time alone with the pay-per-view on tv or a space without his brother in it to bring a woman to. Sam was content with letting Dean think that. Gabriel started spending the entire night with him and the first time they were completely naked together was in the shower. Sam thought it a sort of poetic irony while Gabriel just chuckled to himself. 

And now it was all gone, Sam thought sadly as Dean drove them away from the motel Gabriel had died in. The whole course of their relationship had run through his head on their silent drive, nearly every word, every touch, every breath, and he ached from the pain of losing someone else he’d loved. They’d never shared the words, had never really needed to, and besides, Sam wasn’t completely sure Gabriel felt the same way. And now he never would. He didn’t bother to hide the tears that tracked down his face, answering Dean with grunts and shrugs whenever his brother tried to start a conversation. It would be a long time before the pain faded.

Years later, so many things had happened that Sam couldn’t believe most of them. From Cas betraying them by working with Crowley to fighting Leviathans and losing Dean and Cas to Purgatory to doing trials to close Hell and walking away from it to the angels falling, Sam could barely catch his breath. A part of him was glad that Gabriel was gone because he didn’t think he could stand knowing the archangel had lost his wings. That would hurt. And then Cas told him and Dean about Metatron using Gabriel’s image to try and get him to lead an angel army. A spark of hope woke in Sam that winked out nearly immediately. It was just a... copy, a reflection of the archangel Sam had known. Until Cas mentioned that the image had never fully admitted to being fake. Had implied through body language that he truly was real.

That sent Sam into a fever of research and hope followed by crushing despair every time he found nothing. But he didn’t stop, even when other things rose up to claim his attention. Every spare moment he had was devoted to research, either for the Mark of Cain or for Gabriel. Then he found it. In a book so dusty Sam didn’t think it had ever been touched since it had been brought here Sam found hope. Towards the end of the book there was a small paragraph on angels. It was a simple spell to summon them, one that would work on any angel no matter who or where they were. As long as they were alive.

Trying to keep his hope under control and not wish for too much, Sam gathered the ingredients as quickly as he could. Some took time and some took travel, some took asking Castiel to go and get them. But finally, everything was gathered and it was time. Sam headed outside to the woods, not wanting anyone to see him and wanting to be alone in case it didn’t work. Or if it did. Setting the ingredients in the bowl, he set them on fire and recited the spell to summon an angel. Then, he spoke Gabriel’s name, caressing each syllable as it left his mouth. As the flames rose up then died, there was silence. No wind blew, no birds called. Sam barely breathed as he waited, heart pounding. Where was he? Was he really alive?

Just as he was about to turn away and leave, Sam heard a throat clearing behind him. It was familiar and hope burst throughout his chest. Had it worked? Was Gabriel really not dead, six feet under and gone? Turning slowly, Sam saw the archangel standing about four feet behind him, arms crossed over his chest. One foot tapped slowly, as if Gabriel was getting impatient. Tawny eyes glowed in the light that filtered through the trees and white teeth flashed in a wide smile. 

“I knew you’d figure something out, kiddo,” Gabriel said, nodding at Sam. “Couldn’t come to you on my own because Metatron would know something was up. But if you summoned me, well, then Metatron doesn’t know a thing. It happens outside his awareness.”

“You’re... really you?” Sam asked, stepping forward and putting his hands on Gabriel’s shoulders. The archangel was warm and Sam felt tears prick his eyes as a sob strangled in his throat. “You’re not dead?”

“I’m really me, Sam. I’m not dead,” Gabriel replied, uncrossing his arms and stepping forward to plaster his body to Sam’s in a tight hug.

Sam let the tears flow at the words and hug, wrapping his arms tight around Gabriel’s shoulders and burying his head against the archangel’s hair. They stood like that while sobs racked Sam’s body, everything he’d been holding in for years since Gabriel’s death coming out. Every guilt and pain and mistake cried out on a willing shoulder. Gabriel kept whispering his name, stroking a hand over his hair and promising he wasn’t going anywhere again. When the tears slowed, Sam wiped a hand over his cheeks. He smiled at Gabriel, hugging him tightly. Then, he kissed Gabriel, lightly at first then deeper. Gabriel kissed back enthusiastically, humming in approval when Sam licked into his mouth.

“Good to see you too, kiddo,” Gabriel laughed when Sam broke their kiss to pant against Gabriel’s mouth. “Now why don’t we go somewhere inside for the rest of our reunion? I could do with some candy and a bed. I’ve got plans for you.”

“Sounds good,” Sam replied, feeling something finally ease inside himself. “I’ve got plans for you as well. Don’t expect to go anywhere for the next few days. You’ll be too busy.”

Laughing together, they headed back to the bunker. And when they passed Dean in the hallway on the way to Sam’s room, Sam ignored the frankly flabbergasted look Dean gave him while Gabriel winked at him. The door shut behind them with a determined click and Sam made good on his promise to keep Gabriel busy. They even made it to the bed. Eventually.


End file.
